A trio of positive news surrounding polyethylene furanoate coming in quick succession this month signals increased activity in the sustainable biopolymer going forward including in the US.
PEF is a biopolymer derived from renewable plant-based resources such as surplus food starch derived from sources including wheat and corn.
For plastic processors and packaging makers, PEF can be processed in the same way and with the same equipment as PET to create bottles, films, or fibers.
For end user customers, PEF offers better gas barrier properties than PET and currently can be recycled with PET.
PEF offers a carbon footprint that’s less than half that of PET.
PEF-positive news #1: US FDA approval.
Dutch-based renewable polymers company Avantium reported that effective October 5 the US Food and Drug Administration granted Food Contact Notification (FCN) approval for the use of the company's PEF.
This means that food-contact grade PEF is permitted as packaging material for all food types in the US including those processed and stored ambient, refrigerated, or frozen.
“The FDA’s acceptance of Avantium’s PEF for food contact applications marks a significant achievement,” says Ana Sousa Dias, manager product stewardship and regulatory affairs, Avantium. “It highlights our dedication to providing sustainable and safe solutions for the packaging industry and consumers. We are excited to see the positive impact PEF will have on the market.”
Related:Barrier Biopolymer PEF Propelled by Performance, Potential, and Sustainability
The approval parallels prior European Union and UK food-contact approvals.
PEF-positive news #2: US packaging customer.
Avantium signed an agreement with Michigan-based Plastipak, a manufacturer of rigid plastic containers for food, beverage, and consumer products markets, for an offtake agreement for PEF use in the US.
“As a leading producer of plastic packaging, we are keenly focused on reducing the carbon footprint of our products and at the same time maximize our resource efficiency,” states Matthew Franz, CEO, Plastipak. “PEF helps enable our strategy to introduce sustainable and innovative materials and products to the market.”
Plastipak demonstrated the enhanced performance of PEF in extended shelf-life monolayer and multilayer bottle applications. Other PEF benefits: higher mechanical strength that offers reduced material use and lower processing temperatures that cut energy consumption compared to traditional plastics.
It adds to Avantium’s other offtake agreements for global brand owners that have reserved specific amounts of PEF or one of the polymer’s building blocks, furandicarboxylic acid aka FDCA. Brands include LVMH, AmBev, and Carlsberg.
PEF-positive news #3: FDCA plant starts up.
Avantium officially opens the world’s first commercial plant for FDCA next week on October 22 in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The FDCA Flagship Plant represents a capital investment of €175 million/$191M.
Avantium will initially produce FDCA in batch operations before transitioning to continuous operations. Tolling partner Selenis will polymerize the FDCA into PEF.
Avantium is actively pursuing discussions with potential partners to explore FDCA/PEF licensing opportunities, in addition to one signed with Origin Materials. These discussions aim to further develop the pipeline of potential partners capable of building industrial-scale manufacturing facilities for FDCA and PEF in different regions.
“The opening of our [plant] represents a significant milestone not only for Avantium and our stakeholders but also for the broader community and industry,” states van Aken. “[This] marks the next phase in the commercial launch of PEF, which provides an undeniable, sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. We are making PEF available to brands and consumers worldwide and propels the transition to a fossil free chemical industry.”
PlasticsToday learned that while Avantium is not planning to build a plant in the US, it plans to expand stateside via licensing partners to build industrial scale manufacturing facilities similar to its arrangement with Origin Materials.
Bonus bits of PEF-positive news.
Avantium introduced the Releaf brand name for the company's PEF on October 16. The name represents “relieving the planet from fossil plastics by plant-based solutions and embracing the principles of recycling, renewing, and rethinking.”
Also, it's worth noting that PEF will likely benefit from the ongoing plastic-to-paper packaging substitution, according to food packaging consultant Claire Sand, owner, Packaging Technology and Research, LLC.
"The value proposition of PEF is 'less is more'", she offers. "PEF was chosen as the coating on the inside of the Carlsberg paper bottle because it provided the carbon dioxide and chemical barrier needed without going above the percent plastic threshold allowed to be included in the paper-based structure and still be considered recyclable in the EU. While this threshold is a moving target in many EU countries and is lower in the US, the fact that a thin layer of PEF can provide the barrier suitable for beer means that PEF will have a critical role to play as we move toward more paper-based and monolayer packaging."
Lastly, there's this news: a trade magazine organized the 1st PEF World Congress in cooperation with the H2020 project PEFerence. The two-day long conference with table-top exhibition will be held on October 30 and 31, 2024, in Düsseldorf, Germany.
When a single topic like PEF becomes the focus of an entire conference it’s a clear if unofficial indication a tipping point has been reached.
